On Friday 25 August, the head of the Ministry of Defence approved offset contracts for components for anti-aircraft and anti-missile medium-range missile sets in the second phase of the Wisła programme.

Thanks to offset agreements with Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, with a total value of around 1 billion PLN, service, repair and production facilities will be established in Poland to support the WISŁA system, consisting of such elements as the LTAMDS radar and PAC-3 MSE missiles.

- Experience from the war in Ukraine shows that air and missile defence is very important. I am therefore very pleased that after five years we can once again finalise offset agreements which precede the next phase of our cooperation with regard to acquiring further batteries of the Patriot system for the equipment of the Polish Armed Forces. I thank the Armaments Agency. I would like to thank the presidents of both the Polish Armament Group and Raytheon and Lockheed Martin for very good cooperation, which resulted in 13 offset commitments worth one billion PLN

- said Minister Błaszczak during the meeting.

An important part of the signed agreements is the inclusion of Polish companies as certified suppliers to US entities. This is not only an opportunity to make a technological leap in the production process, but also to create new solutions in missile technologies together with US partners. This will have a significant impact on the research, development and testing capabilities of the Polish industry.

- Our objective was to acquire modern armaments, but our objective is also to ensure security when it comes to the supply of equipment and the servicing of this equipment. For that reason, the Polish arms industry will co-produce certain components for omnidirectional radars, super modern radars. So far, we have been using zone radars. Now they will be omnidirectional radars, which will be supplied together with the PATRIOT system. The Polish defence industry will be able to develop missile technology. We have already started building a laboratory in Zielonka, at the WZE Zielonka. In connection with another offset commitment, we will be able to develop the competence of the Polish arms industry precisely in this very important field. Another of the offset commitments concerns the possibility of producing fuel for HIMARS missiles. We are now negotiating another agreement on equipping the Polish Military with HIMARS missiles, which perform fantastically on the battlefield in the hands of the brave Ukrainians. The fourth offset commitment relates to the possibility of servicing, operational support when it comes to F-16 and C-130 aircraft. All this is extremely important for Poland's security. Thank you again that we were able to achieve all this. This is beneficial for the United States as well. The inclusion of the Polish potential in the chain of supply of this modern equipment, the possibility of the development of this equipment by Polish scientists, as well as the very fact of strengthening the security of our homeland through just these activities are a very important stage in our cooperation.

- noted the head of the Ministry of Defence.

The head of the Ministry of Defence stressed that offset is always an investment in the security and development of the Polish industry.

- We seize opportunities to invest in the Polish arms industry whenever they occur. In the case of our cooperation with Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, we have the opportunities to invest in the Polish arms industry, we have the opportunities to include the Polish arms industry in the supply chain of these companies. And we take advantage of these opportunities, thus investing in the security of our homeland

- added the head of the Ministry of National Defence.

The signing of the agreements is a continuation of the process initiated in the first phase of the WISŁA programme. Minister Mariusz Błaszczak in March 2018 signed a contract for the delivery of two batteries of anti-aircraft and anti-missile Patriot systems as part of Phase I of WISŁA project. Offset negotiations are also still ongoing with another arms industry leader, Northrop Grumann, an agreement which also are to result in a significant technology transfer.